Gangster Squad

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We can't wait to see Emma Stone--and Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin of course--in this weekend's big screen drama Gangster Squad. Her ubiquitous sexy red dress in the film got us thinking about cinema's lovely ladies of crime. Like Stone, these gangster molls always look impossibly chic, which is why we rounded up the best of the best in today's slideshow along with some inspired-by pieces to help you channel their signature styles.

This raucous gangster spoof is most notable for two things: its all-child cast and the indelible performance of Jodie Foster as Tallulah, who plays opposite famous bad guy Bugsy Malone (played by Scott Baio of Charles in Charge fame). As in all of her performances, Foster steals the show-fitting for a gangster moll, no?-and so does her stylish chapeau.

Image courtesy of Everett Collection

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Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Aster Maxi Dress ($590, 323.951.0021)

As the featured actress amidst a bunch of dapper dudes, the sexy Stone doesn't need much more than her fiery red hair and bright green eyes to pop off the screen in Gangster Squad. And yet her shoulder-revealing ruched red dress takes the bombshell look to a whole new level.

Love means never having to say you're sorry, and we're pretty sure MacGraw has no apologies for taking the badass role of Carol McCoy opposite Steve McQueen (swoon). MacGraw, who worked as Diana Vreeland's assistant at Harper's Bazaar before launching her acting career, pulls off this tailored trench with such ease you'd think she was singing in the rain and not double-crossing for her ex-con boyfriend.

Lively flaunts her dramatic range as Ben Affleck's ex-girlfriend in this Boston-based heist movie, while rocking major hoop earrings and an awesome smoky eye. The lovely Lively manages to make a train wreck of a character look beautiful.

As far as red dresses go, this one pops in all the right places-it's strapless, sexy, and screams cocktail hour. Our inspired-by pick is an equally form-fitting frock, but thankfully this one comes with waist-flattering ruching. Watch out: dangerous curves ahead.

Ok, so Woody Harrelson was a little more gangsta than gangster in this psycho-romp, but how can you not covet the, um, killer style of Juliette Lewis? If you're going to rock a fringe, you'd better commit, and Lewis doesn't disappoint in her hippie-dellic vest.

Everything was in Technicolor in this highly stylized comic book flick, but Madonna truly lit up the screen. If you're going to play arm candy to the biggest, baddest gangster in town, you'd better up your jewel quotient, and boy do these sparkly clustered earrings make her shine bright like a diamond.

Pfeiffer's crisp white suit and oversized cat-eye sunnies in the drug cartel classic Scarface lend her an aura of mystery (the opposite of her, like, totally-'80s look in 1988's Married to the Mob). The right glasses lend glamour to anything from a sundress to jeans and a t-shirt; pair them with a floppy hat to get the masses asking, "Who's that girl?"

Almost dying doesn't preclude you from becoming a fashion icon, which is a good thing, since Thurman's crisp, streamlined style-from bob and bangs to tailored shirts and cropped pants-made as much of a splash as Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece. The real key to pulling off this look? A killer heel black heel elevates the outfit from pajama chic to sophisticated silhouette.

Our French friends may have made the beret chic, but Dunaway made it sultry as the better half of Depression-era crime duo Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in this classic '60s film. Though the costume design leaned toward a palette of browns and beiges, Dunaway managed to upstage Warren Beatty at the drop of a hat.-Danielle Nussbaum